


I Know There's an Answer

by dadsBBQparty



Series: Northan Android AU [1]
Category: Heavy Rain
Genre: Android AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-19
Updated: 2018-06-19
Packaged: 2019-05-25 08:41:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14973374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dadsBBQparty/pseuds/dadsBBQparty
Summary: A bug in the system was what caused Norman to protect Ethan Mars.





	I Know There's an Answer

**Author's Note:**

> Idea that was inspired alongside Liza0111. :*

Androids don't feel emotions.  
The emotions are merely a bug in the systems.  
They were only glitches. 

Norman repeated these facts to himself as he saw Ethan sitting with Carter Blake in the interrogation room. Norman was standing in the corner. An object just to advance the situation. That was his only purpose. 

Find Shaun Mars alive. That was his mission. 

His mission wasn't to protect Ethan. 

He had to obey what Carter told him. He told him to shoot, he would shoot. He told him to stay silent, he stayed silent. He told him to chase, he would chase. 

Stay out of it. That was his current order. 

He had to leave it alone he reminded himself as Ethan was slammed against the table. He stood there, watching him. The pain in Ethan’s face was something he couldn't even look at. 

“Norman, get lost. You're in the way standing there.” 

Norman looked at Ethan. He was beaten, bruised. He had broken ribs, cuts, burns and he had recently lost a chunk of his pinky. Now Carter was doing more damage. Human bodies were fragile. 

“Didn't you hear me?” 

Carter had Ethan by the collar of his shirt. Blood was stained on Ethan’s attire. Norman wondered how far the broken father would go. Norman knew why Carter wanted him gone from the room. Situations with android involvement could easily be traced if they scanned the memory of the android. There would be proof of how Carter treated Ethan at this exact moment. 

He couldn't leave. His feet wouldn't move. 

Why was this? 

Ethan was looking at him with desperation, sadness, and anger. He wanted to protect his son more than anything. Norman wished he could understand that feeling. 

Wished. 

He wished Ethan was safe. He wished Ethan was far away from this room. 

Wishing was a human emotion, but that was the only way he could register it. There was no other explanation to the feeling. Each time he saw Ethan, his system became unstable. 

What sparked this in him? Running to Ethan, he felt free. For once in his life, he wasn't just obeying. This was his own decision. Protect Ethan Mars. 

He shoved Carter off of Ethan, causing Ethan to shuffle away as far as he could with his handcuffs. Norman hurt to know that he was trying to escape him as well, but he was aware that humans would find his actions terrifying. 

“Don't hurt him!” Norman shouted at him, stepping closer to him. “Can't you see what he’s been through?” 

A shiny, .45 caliber handgun was shoved right in his face. 

Fear. This was fear. Another thing he shouldn't feel. Norman had ‘died' before, but now he was scared to fail Ethan. 

“Move, or I'll shoot.” 

Norman’s hands went up, stepping away from Ethan. He wasn't protected, but there wasn't much he could do. If he was shot, Ethan would only get shot right after him. The only thing he could do was escape the room and run to the head of the department. 

“Captain Perry!” he screamed, bursting through the door to the head of the department’s office. His look was less startled as it was annoyed. “Carter Blake is beating Ethan Mars. You need to stop him! I can't watch him do this to him. He's in so much pain. He doesn't fit the psychological profile- He’s hurting an innocent man! Please-”

“Are you deviant?” Perry asked him, leaning closer. Not happy. Norman kept quiet, watching with wide eyes. “Norman, answer me. Are. You. Deviant?” 

Deviant. 

He deviated from Carter due to their disagreements over Ethan Mars. Norman was the greatest fear to the department. 

“No,” he lied calmly. “This is in the way of our investigation.” 

“Leave or I'll have you terminated,” Perry concluded, turning his attention away from Norman. 

No one would help him. Ethan Mars didn't fit the psychological profile of the Origami Killer. What was the point of having him if no one listened to him? Was it alright to be shoved away because he was an android?

Carter left the room and walked down the hallway, and Norman had to act immediately. Success was only a 20% chance. He walked into the security room, dismissing the main in charge and shutting off the camera. 50%. Ethan Mars was unconscious. He could see it through the glass. 

He walked back into the room with Ethan, dismissing the guard. 60%. Humans needed bathroom breaks, anyways. He… registered relief as the guard left. It was only Ethan and him now. 

Ethan was in worse condition than before. His eye would bruise in the morning, and so would much of his body. That’s why he felt so awful smacking him awake, but he didn't have time to waste. 

The worried father jerked up, looking up at the android as though he was looking at a ghost. 

“Wh-What do you want?” he asked desperately. “I told you everything I know-” 

“You're not the killer,” Norman soothed, pressing his hands on the table. “You need to be free. I'll be right back. Be prepared to leave.” 

Ethan couldn't form words as Norman left. Moments later, he was back with a jacket and keys, unlocking Ethan’s handcuffs and helping him dress in the department’s coat. 70% chance of success. He couldn't wait any longer or the probability would shrink. 

“Don't talk to anyone. Don't raise attention. You should be able to safely leave.” 

“Why are you protecting me?” Ethan asked him nervously, walking to the door. He looked back at Norman with pleading eyes. He was scared of not only losing his son, but Norman knew he was scared of him. 

Norman was deviant. While it scared humans, he knew was the right thing to do. Protecting Ethan was all that mattered, even if his change would put his life in risk. 

“Because I love you,” he admitted quietly. He must have had a heart, because a machine couldn't feel that warm squeeze through their body at the smile Ethan returned to the words. This feeling made him think he could overcome the obstacles. He had purpose. 

“I don't know what to say.” 

“Say you'll save your son,” Norman replied as Ethan escaped his sight. 

His mission was no longer just to protect Shaun Mars, but he needed to protect Ethan Mars. He wasn't just a machine. He was a living being who loved a human.


End file.
